Trollheart

Wow! Praise from Caesar! Or are you being sarcastic...?

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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

The Batlord

Not sarcastic, but still trolling.

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Trollheart

(Author's note: This section will contain some pretty close to the bone sexual innuendo and humour, and also graphic violence depicted through the written word. As such, I feel it only right to slap this sticker here, to warn you all. Over 18s only. You have been warned.

The Batlord once mused “If I didn't have you to torture, Trollheart, this site would not be nearly as much fun for me as it is”. Or something close to that anyway. Well, always eager to please I'm happy to provide my Metal-obsessed buddy with an opportunity to do just that. Torture me. Musically, I mean! Musically! Our relationship isn't like that --- what? No it's not mine! How should I know? Look, what would I be doing with a rubber skirt, high-heeled boots and a leather hood, now come on! What? They all have “TH” stencilled in red thread on them? Well sure that could be anyone. Plenty of people with those initials I'm sure. Like ... like ... um .. like ... Stop stretching it! It's very tight yes. Made to measure. For someone with a very slim waist. What? Yes, I have a very slim waist, what of it? Oh stop it! You're getting finger marks on it! Do you know how long it took me to clean it the last time ---? Just put it down, okay?

God! As I way saying before someone started messing with a bondage outfit that is definitely, categorically not mine, this new section will allow Batty to run riot. He'll be suggesting the worst albums he can think of for me to listen to and seeing how much misery he can cause me. Here's how it will work:

I start off with 100% health. As the album progresses I rate each track on a scale of how much it sucks, and accordingly lose health. (This will be descriptive and is where the graphic violence comes in) So for track one let's say I lose 20%, track two 20%, track three 10%. By the time track four begins I've already lost 50% of my health. When it drops to 0% --- surprise, surprise! --- I'm dead. However, as some of the albums --- most of the albums? --- may kill me early, as Nick Cave once said, death is not the end. After my health drops to zero, I can continue losing health, which then goes into minus figures. When I am -100% I become a Proto-Zombie, but even then that's not the last of it. With a percentage health of -200% I become a True Zombie, -300% a Mega Zombie and -400% a Crypto Zombie (one of the worst kinds of living hell: a Zombie who enjoys Cryptopsy!)

The trends can of course reverse. If, before I drop to 0%, I hear a track I think is not all that bad, then my health could go from say 60% back up to 70 or 80, but once I hit True Zombie there is o going back. A Proto-Zombie state can be reversed, bringing me back to a simple corpse, and perhaps on from there back to life. But I'd really have to like the music for that to happen, and let's be honest, he's not going to pick any music that will help me survive. His mission is to kill me, kill me again and kill me some more.

Each album must be listened to in its entireity, but don't expect long in-depth reviews. There'll be just be enough to prove I have actually listened to the album, not just said I did. At the end of each track I'll post my Health Score, and at the end of the album we'll see whether I survive, die or become one of four types of zombie. If I survive, I can ask for an album that I might enjoy, or at least tolerate, and Batty has to honour that request. However if I become anything past a Proto-Zombie then he's free to go to town on his next selection. Somehow I feel I'll be enduring some pretty ear-tearing music...

Anyone who wishes to participate in my musical torture can do so, but this is Batty's Torture Chamber so you have to go through him. Just drop him a PM I guess. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a tight rubber miniskirt to wriggle into --- I mean, to return to its owner! Yes, that's it. That's what I meant to say.

Now, where did I leave that talcum powder?

Tomorrow: the torture begins as Trollheart suffers through a whole Cryptopsy album...

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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

Trollheart

As we all know, Metal is so diverse and has splintered into so many subgenres that many of them are strikingly different. Progressive Metal, for instance, bears no relationship to Doom Metal, while Nu-Metal is generally shunned by people and Grindcore ... well, let's just say over the past few days I've discovered that Grindcore is not for me. But there are some subgenres of Metal I have little or no experience with, and others I know quite well. Over the course of the next few Metal Months, this section will address those subgenres, looking into the ethos behind each, asking why it's so different from the “regular” metal that it deserves its own category, and of course taking a look at some of the major --- and perhaps minor --- players in that subgenre.

If I said the first one I want to look at had connections to burly men in ships sailing from colder countries to plunder the rich fertile lands of the west, would you know what I was talking about? Of course you would.

Viking Metal seems to be a relatively recent subdivision of the genre, but its roots go back thousands of years, to before the birth of Christianity. Of course, they surely didn't sing Heavy Metal as they rode into battle, but song was always a large part of the Viking way of life. They would sing of their battles, their victories, comrades lost, their women and of course their gods. This sort of mythological and historical bent surely lends itself well to Heavy Metal, and the fact that Vikings were, we are told, pretty much to a man, rough, tough men who fought by a code of honour and hoped to die gloriously in battle, seals the deal.

Like the Norsemen of antiquity, Viking Metal is characterised by a rough, hard edge with often gutteral vocals --- though not always --- pounding guitars and hammering drums. The lyric usually --- though again not always --- focus on the exploits of the Vikings, their battles and histories, and the legends they believed in. Because of its origins, much of the music of Viking Metal is sung in the native language of the band who perform it --- Danish, Swedish, Norwegian and Finnish, as well as German --- making it hard for non-native speakers to experience the true depth of some of the lyrics, but there's always passion and power in their songs. Some bands augment the guitar/bass/drums/vocals format by mixing it up with piano, violin, flutes, sometimes even a full orchestra, for what is more stirring than an orchestra in full flow? But the core of the music remains, hard and uncompromising.

Sometimes elements of Viking Metal --- like many of the other subgenres --- spills across the borders and into other forms of metal, such as Power Metal and sometimes Progressive Metal. Manowar are a good example of a band who have combined Viking Metal influences into their basically Power Metal sound, and Blind Guardian could be said to be almost a Viking Progressive Metal band. But to hear the real Viking Metal you really have to let go of your preconceptions and accept that a good percentage of what you're going to hear is likely to be in a tongue you don't speak. In other words, to quote from Star Trek: to really appreciate Shakespeare you have to hear it in the original Klingon. There's something primordial about the lyrics in Viking Metal, and even if you don't understand them you can get a good sense of the grandeur, sweep and majesty of them, the idea of honour and courage burning through brightly, and behind all stands the stern figures of the Norse gods, beckoning the bravest to sit at their table in Valhalla, the Hall of Heroes.

With the proliferation of Black Metal in the 1980s, many bands were drawn to the harsh, abrasive, who-gives-a-fuck style of playing but were uneasy with the often inextricable links with Satan and the Occult. But they didn't believe --- or professed not to believe, or at least in their music --- in the Christian God, and so they fell sort of between two stools. They did not worship Satan, and they did not believe in God. So they turned to an earlier form of worship, one which stood in direct opposition to God but was not linked to his Eternal Adversary, Odin and the gods of Asgard. Known for their frequent raids across the sea in which primarily they would target monasteries and churches, and slay priests and monks without a second thought, Vikings became the visual embodiment of what these other bands wanted, and they embraced the culture and the music. There was a problem though.

Vikings are not known in history for having any musical heritage. Although their stories have been celebrated in opera and classical music down the centuries --- with Wagner's “Ring Cycle” being the obvious example here --- the Norsemen had little time for singing, or composing music. They were too busy putting to sea, raiding foreign lands and carrying back their treasure. When they weren't raiding, they were planning for a raid, or fighting among each other or making love to their wives, or hunting, or any number of other manly occupations. But they did not compose symphonies, they did not write poetry and they did not read books. Some few did write --- Icelandic scribe Snorri Sturluson's epic sagas have gone down in history --- but much of their mythology was related by mouth, from generation to generation, so that little of it was committed to paper.

So without a musical heritage for these new bands to draw on, they had to create their own, and so Viking Metal envisages how the mighty warriors might have sung as they charged into battle or after battle marching home victorious, or celebrating in the mighty mead halls. Their legends, exploits and history are set to the kind of music that evokes their memory --- hard, crushing, slow, grinding, powerful. The vocals are often grunted or roared, and folk instruments endemic to the Vikings are sometimes introduced into the music mix.

The image of Viking Metal bands, too, mimicks their heroes and many of them dress in animal furs, leather armour, with horned helmets and weapons at their sides. Fitting the image of the Norsemen, most members of Viking bands are burly and strong. They usually advocate the consumption of massive amounts of alcohol, and practice what they preach.

So, who are the main proponents of this subgenre? Who are the players? Many cite Swedish Black Metal band Bathory as the first real Viking Metal Band, while there is also a case for the crowning of Enslaved as the firstborn. There's Motriis, the ever-jolly Burzum, Thyrfing, Moonsroow, Amon Amarth and many more. And they're just the ones from Scandinavia. Spread your net a little further and you'll catch iron fish from Germany, Holland, The Czech Republic, USA, Canada, even the Faroe Islands. Almost all of these bands claim some sort of Viking blood in their history. Whether there's any truth to that probably varies widely from band to band.

In the next part of this article I'll be looking into some of the major and minor bands of this subgenre, and sampling some of their music.

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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

Trollheart

I've been asked not to research this album, just listen to it. This goes against my reviewing strategy and habits, but just this once I'll grant the request. Suggested by Loathsome Pete, and backed up by mythsofmetal, Mojo and bob, this is

Imaginary sonicscape --- Sigh --- 2001 (Century Media)
Recommended by Loathsome Pete (and also by mythsofmetal, bob and Mojo)

So if I'm not to look it up then I have nothing to say. Yet. Once I've heard a few tracks though you can bet I'll be Wiki-bound! But in order to honour Pete's request, I now push “play” and listen to --- oh God! ---”Corpsecry --- Angelfall”. Gulp! Well there's some great guitar work to start off, and a really rocking beat, then the vocals come in and yes, as I somehow expected, it's a harsh, gutteral, almost completely indecipherable voice that would scare the shit out of me if I heard it at night. The music's great though, very Iron Maiden around the mid-eighties, “Number of the beast”, “Piece of mind”, that sort of thing. Looking down the tracklist I see there's a charming little number entitled “Slaughterhouse suite” that runs for, wait for it, just short of thirteen minutes! Oh dear. Still, vocals aside, if the music is all this good then that may not be a bad thing. Great solos here (damn! It really feels like I'm writing with one hand tied behind my back, not being able to tell you who these guys are, where they come from, who's playing what etc, but hell I'll play along for a few tracks).

Lot of screaming going on here, and I note that few of the tracks are below five minutes, other than one which is just over one, and I feel may be an instrumental or some sort of interlude. Now that definitely sounds like keys, like an organ coming in there. I hate the vocals but I love the music. Could do without the screams. Have I mentioned I hate the vocals? I hate the vocals. Were this a better, or more suited to me, singer, I think I would really like this album, and we're only on the first track. Big string-style outro in the last minute, that took me totally by surprise. Very nice indeed.

“Scarlet dream” definitely has some keyboard in it, and it's a slower, hard rock cruncher with some sort of echoey vocoder effect on the backing vocal. Hammering guitars, of which I assume there are two, as one is soloing while the other keeps the basic rhythm and melody going. The thing I will give the singer is that his vocals (I obviously assume it's a male) don't come too far up in the mix, aren't drowning out the music or screaming and shouting all over it. You can kind of listen to them in the background, even though they're gutteral. Now they're going into some odd sort of reggae rhythm led by keys and what sounds like a harpsichord, but almost surely is not. In the vocal I can make out ”Born in Heaven and raised in Hell”, which is a pretty clever line.

Sounding like something on a jazz album next, “Nietszchean conspiracy” starts slow and moody, with synthy sound effects and strings, a slow, kind of handclap drumbeat. Very atmospheric. I like this. In fact, so far I like everything on this album. Other than the vocals, but I'm even coming to either appreciate or just get used to them. This track sort of reminds me of a Diablo String Orchestra tune; very avant-garde. Great organ solo just adds to the flavour of the track, quite bluesy and then I think that's a sax sliding in too.

You know, the more I listen to this guy the more I begin to think of him as a heavy metal Tom Waits: it's not that his voice is all that gutteral or rough, it's just gravelly and hoarse. I really liked that track, favourite so far. “A sunset song” opens like an ELO semi-ballad, which is weird, though I'm getting used to the “w” word characterising this album. Superb little digital piano run totally contrasts with the harsh vocal, sort of lounge style. Great hooky guitar part, and when I said “Nietszchean conspiracy” was my favourite, well it is, but this comes a close second. After the next track I'm going to start researching Sigh, because I want to know more about them, and I think going in blind, while it has been an experience, has served its purpose now and I've kept my promise.

That short track I spoke of is next, and marks the midpoint of the album. Clocking in at a mere one minute twenty-five seconds, “Impromptu (allegro meastoso)” seems to be a solo piece on the piano, absolutely beautiful, belongs on a classical album really. I have got to find out who these guys are, and after this I'm going to. “Dreamsphere (Return to the chaos)” is a slower, more dramatic piece with strings and choral vocals but some bitchin' (Copyright: The Batlord Enterprises MMXIII) guitar too, then it speeds up and there's one hell of a synth solo. Now I can run to Wiki and I find first of all that these guys are Japanese. Well that's interesting and a surprise. Seems the vocalist, Mirai Kawashima, also does those incredible keys, as well as handling the vocoder, woodwinds, sampling and arranging the orchestral parts. So there is an orchestra! Sounded like it.

They've been going since 1989 (!) and the guitars on this album are handled by Shinichi Ishikawa, who has since left the band, with Satoshi Fujinami looking after both sides of the rhythm section, playing bass and drums, as well as a lot of other stuff. This is their fifth of ten albums, marking therefore the midpoint in their career, and as William York of Allmusic remarks, this is an “amazing, weird album and the best place for newcomers to start with this band.” I concur, on the first part anyway; don't know about the second, though Wiki says that Sigh began life as an extreme black metal band, so perhaps their earlier stuff may not suit me. We're now into that eleven-minute composition I spoke of earlier, and having got totally into this album I now no longer fear or dread “Slaughterhouse suite”: in fact, I'm looking forward to it.

It opens on atmospheric keys and sort of zinging sounds, with what sounds like a hammer and anvil ringing in the background. When Mirai comes in with the vocal there's strings accompaniment, and it's slow and dark, with the sort of a feeling of a haunted house about it. Amazingly, it's advanced to five minutes in and it doesn't feel anything like it. This eleven minutes (almost) is going to go in a lot faster than I expected. Lots of orchestral ideas here, still reminds me a lot of the earlier work of ELO, then something like the soundtrack to a ballet takes over in minute six, with wedding bells tolling, very Russian/Eastern European feeling to that before Shinichi comes back in with the guitar and Mirai manages to arrange an effect on the vocals I have only heard before achieved by Vangelis on his “Oceanic” album. Just superb.

Something like a vibraphone then comes in as the guitar churns away, then a full keyboard run develops as we head to the ninth minute, and I could really wish this was longer, which is in no way something I had expected to be saying! Suddenly there's a jump and with the sound of an old crackly record we have a lovely piano solo, very slow with organ on the fringes of it. This sound is lovingly created to sound just like an old, damaged vinyl album and it's perfect. It takes us right to the end as “Bring back the dead” howls in on a big hard guitar chord and rippling synth, a real rocker jumping with energy and passion, and it has a great hook in it too. I'll be honest: I don't see one single bad track here and as we head towards the end of this incredible album I'm not expecting any.

And no, there isn't. “Requiem nostalgia” becomes another standout, with an operatic opening and then some fine vocoder work by Mirai as well as some stellar drumming and what may or may not be flute. Also, we get “proper” vocals for the first time, and by gum, this guy can sing! If any of the songs on this album deserve the description of Doom Metal, I think this one qualifies. Oh dear god no! Don't tell me it's over! Sigh (pun intended): it is. What an incredible ride!

TRACKLISTING

Corpsecry --- Angelfall
Scarlet dream
Nietszchean conspiracy
A sunset song
Impromptu (allegro maestoso)
Dreamsphere (Return to the chaos)
Ecstatic transformation
Slaughterhouse suite
Bring back the dead
Requiem nostalgia

Not so long ago, the “old” me would have thought this was great up to the point the vocals began, and then switched off. Thankfully, I've managed to broaden my outlook a little now and can take death vocals in small doses, and also so many people recommended this album there had to be something in it. As I got used to the vocal I was aware of something amazing unfolding before my ears. It's been a long long time since I've been so totally blown away by a band, and the moreso that it's a Japanese avant-garde Black Metal one!

If you took the best elements and ideas within DSO and Theatre des Vampires, you still wouldn't scratch the surface of how great this album is, and I certainly intend to delve deeper into their later music. Thanks guys for the rec and for turning me on to Sigh; they just gained another fan, and another voice has been added to the chorus shouting “You have got to hear this album!”

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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

mythsofmetal

While Sigh's later music is generally more avant-garde and slightly more accessible, I think you shouldn't discount their earlier albums though I may recommend listening to a couple of their more accessible/later albums before going into their early discography.

The two other albums of theirs besides Imaginary Sonicscape that are their most accessible and avant-garde are probably In Somniphobia from the year 2012 which has some big Jazz and Prog influence, and Gallows Gallery which if I'm not mistaken is entirely sung in clean vocals (besides some bonus tracks which are versions of songs on the standard album except with harsh vocals instead.) Though the vocals on Gallows Gallery are a little bit odd compared to most clean vocals, and the albums main influences could be described as Power Metal and Jazz. Also, if looking to listen to Gallows Gallery, make sure you listen to the remastered version, because the production is quite bad on the original version that was released in 2005, and even the remastered version's production isn't great. The reason for that is likely due to the band's disputes at the time with the label which was upset with Sigh not going in a more Black Metal direction, and I'm pretty sure cut the funding of the album due to that, resulting in the poor production.

Though those three albums may be their most accessible their top 3 imo excludes Gallows Gallery, and replaces it with Hail Horror Hail from 1997 along with the one you listened to, and In Somniphobia. Hail Horror Hail is very atmospheric, with Heavy Metal guitar melodies for a fair few of the songs similar to Imaginary Sonicscape, as well as incorporates various influences in some songs like Imaginary Sonicscape, which may or may not be present in other songs.

Scenes From Hell is another one of their best, released in 2010 and the debut of their second singer/saxophonist who's name is Dr. Mikannibal. Her voice is typically the deeper more Death Metaly voice, whereas on this album Mirai still retains his higher pitched more raspy Black Metal voice. The guitars, bass, and drums are typically very heavy on this album, and make some of the best riffs I've heard in Sigh's discography. There's also a lot of orchestrations throughout the album, I can't put a name on the style of orchestrations, but they're definitely different than the more typical classical influenced orchestrations on some of their other songs.

Another great one is Infidel Art. It's their second album but still a fair bit different from their first. It has some big Romantic Era Classical influence, as well as Doom Metal influence.

I think even their first album, Scorn Defeat, would be good for you to look into. It was actually one of the albums that really got me started into Black Metal. Though, it's probably their weakest in that while it has a few great tracks (A Victory of Dakini, Gundali, Ready for the Final War.) most of the other ones are only good or decent. It definitely is among the more accessible almost pure Black Metal out there, so I don't think you should ignore it and at least give the three best tracks I mentioned a try.

Also, if you want to see the point where they turned from semi-Avant-garde to really avant-garde, then check out their 1997 EP called Ghastly Funeral Theatre. While I don't think it's among their best, it definitely has a few great songs (it technically only really has four, and the first real track I'd consider the weakest on the album, but the rest is a fair bit better than the first, and even the first is very good, imo.) Also, since you liked Impromptu (Allegro Maestoso) then at least check out Imiuta, which is a great piano and synth piece, which imo is much better than Impromptu.

Also, rounding out some information for you on the last two albums of theirs I haven't mentioned yet. I'll start with Scenario IV: Dread Dreams circa 1999 which is probably their most underrated album, but also imo not among their best ones. It is kinda similar to Hail Horror Hail if you took out the more atmospheric elements, it definitely has that Heavy Metal/Iron Maiden riff influence like on Imaginary Sonicscape and Hail Horror Hail. Also, while it has a few great songs which rival their best ones, it probably loses being among their best because it is one of their more inconsistent albums like Scorn Defeat, and the last album I'll get to tell you about which is their 2007 album Hangman's Hymn. Hangman's Hymn is probably their second closest album to a pure Black Metal sound besides their debut album. It basically is like Black Metal plus classical synths with slightly more Heavy Metal/Thrash Metal influenced riffs. One complaint I've heard from some people is that they can't distinguish a fair amount of the riffs on the album from other ones that preceded it, and that a lot of the time they feel the riffs don't really go anywhere. I personally feel I can distinguish the riffs well and if I'm in the right mood they can sound quite great, but it's exactly that I have to be in a more specific type of mood to really enjoy the album.


Also, Sigh is scheduled to release another album this year entitled Graveward. They've recently let a song leak from the new album and I thought I could post it here for you to maybe listen to, but don't feel like you have to listen to or review it just because I posted it here.


Sigh - Out of the Grave (Demo) - YouTube

Trollheart

Uh, where the hell am I? What's with the dripping water, and why is it so COLD? And dark. Ugh. This is not a nice place! Man, my head hurts. And why do my arms feel like they're chained to posts above my head --- oh. Because they're chained to posts above my head. Wait a minute: it's starting to come back to me. A PM. A threat. A ransom. Something about my prized Marillion collection and a chainsaw.... oh crap. He did it, didn't he? And here I am, chained up and at his mercy --- what the hell am I wearing? Feels really tight and stretchy, apart from my legs which feel ... bare? Is that a skirt I'm wearing? If so, it's really tight. And short. And I feel like I'm standing on ... high heels? Holy mother of God! What's this in front of me? Why does my chest feel so ... prominent? And my hair was never this long!

I don't believe this. After years of calling me a girl, he's used his dark powers and actually turned me into one! Well, at least it feels like I'm a curvy, sexy one. That's something. Full pouting red lips, long soft golden hair, long legs and a tight arse. Well it feels tight. And smooth. Smoother than mine ever was. Soft hands too, and you know, there's a lot to be said for a really well stacked rack...

My mind has begun to wander in a certain direction when suddenly a dark, cackling voice cuts through the foetid air, and with the barely restrained glee of the madman crows
“GOOD MORNING MISS TROLLHEART! GOOD TO SEE YOU'RE FINALLY AWAKE!”

I start to demand what he has done to me, then realise that I'm gagged and can say nothing. Oh how very cliched bondage of you, Batlord!

“YES!” says he, as if reading my mind. “TIS I, THE BATLORD, AND YOU ARE IN MY POWER. THROUGH THE MAGIC OF DARK METAL I HAVE WOVEN A SPELL WHICH HAS CHANGED YOUR PHYSICAL FEATURES INTO THAT OF A HOT CHICK, THOUGH YOUR MIND REMAINS THE SAME, FILLED WITH IMAGES OF TWENTY-FOUR MINUTE KEYBOARD SOLOS, INTROSPECTIVE GUITARS AND LYRICS ABOUT DRAGONS AND WIZARDS. YOU KNOW, PROGRESSIVE ROCK?”

I can hear the spit as he snarls the phrase, then cackles again.

“I'VE ALWAYS CALLED YOU A GIRL”, he goes on, “AND NOW YOU ARE ONE. MUST BE LIKE A DREAM COME TRUE FOR YOU. I KNOW WHAT YOU GET UP TO IN YOUR SPARE TIME.”

I try to shake my head but it's no use, he has that in some sort of a vise and I can't move it. Nor can I speak, so my silence is taken for assent. Damn him. You know? His nasty voice comes through the darkness again, cutting into my soul, freezing my heart.

“HEY, AT LEAST I WAS MAGNANIMOUS ENOUGH TO MAKE YOU LOOK SMOKIN' HOT!”
he offers, and I hear his lascivious grin somewhere off in the darkness, but close. I shudder. I get the uncomfortable feeling that he's undressing me with his eyes. Little perv. Can't a girl possess fine cans and a great ass without people looking at her as if she's a piece of --- damn! Focus, Troll! Focus! His spell is getting in on you, making you think you ARE a girl, making you think like one. You are NOT a girl. You are a man. You are Trollheart. I repeat it like a mantra, then am rather surprised to hear an almost identical chant coming in a low mutter:

“IT'S NOT A GIRL, IT'S TROLLHEART. IT'S NOT A GIRL, IT'S TROLLHEART. FOCUS, BATLORD! DAMN, BUT SHE'S SO FINE! I'D LIKE TO ---- ARRRGH! NOTAGIRLTROLLHEART. NOTAGIRLTROLLHEART. NOTAGIRLTROLLHEART.”

He says it faster now, as if it's a spell that will protect him, and I allow myself an inward smile. Hoist on his own petard. But I'm the one who's been hoist, and I'm completely defenceless, especially in this girly body. He seems to recover his composure. His voice, when it speaks again, is now devoid of the slight shake and the half-stammer that denotes the nervousness or embarrassment suffered by a man when in the presence of a beautiful woman. (Not a girl. Trollheart. Not a girl. Trollheart.)

“LET'S GET ON WITH THIS”
he snaps testily, as if growing bored, or trying to sound like he is.
“I'VE GOT KYLIE MINOGUE --- I MEAN, BRUTAL DEATH METAL --- ALBUMS TO LISTEN TO. CAN'T SPEND ALL MY TIME DOWN HERE. NOW, AS WE AGREED, AND IN RETURN FOR THE SAFETY OF YOUR STUPID MARILLION COLLECTION, YOU ARE NOW A GIRL. AND LIKE ALL GOOD PSYCHOS WITH A HELPLESS GIRL AT THEIR MERCY, I'M GONNA TORTURE YOU. WITH MUSIC. HEADPHONES HAVE BEEN GLUED TO YOUR EARS SO YOU HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO LISTEN. THIS IS THE FIRST ALBUM YOU'RE GONNA LISTEN TO, AND I WANT A PROPER REPORT OR YOU'LL STAY LIKE THAT FOREVER. AND YOU WOULDN'T WANT THAT, WOULD YOU? I SAID, WOULD YOU? (Pause) “OH YEAH, I FORGOT. YOU CAN'T RESPOND. WELL, I'LL JUST ASSUME THAT YOU WOULDN'T WANT TO REMAIN AS A GIRL FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. WHO WOULD? I MEAN, THAT CREAMY, SILKY SOFT SKIN, THOSE RUBY-RED LIPS, THE SOFT, SULTRY EYES, THOSE AMAZING CANS, THAT FIRM ASS --- UM. WHERE WAS I? OH YEAH: WHO'D WANT TO STAY LIKE THAT FOREVER,EH?”

“SO LET ME JUST PLUG IN MY SPECIAL AMP THAT GOES UP TO ELEVEN --- GOT A LOAN OF THAT FROM YER MAN FROM SPINAL TAP --- AND GET YOU STARTED. WELCOME TO”

In addition to making me listen to this crap, Batty has also ensured that I do my usual research, so thanks to him I’ve had to read about this guy digging up worms and eating them live on stage! Yum! I don’t think! Well, if this is an attempt to shock or scare, or even repulse me, we’ll find out whether or not it worked in .. I guess thirty-odd minutes, as that’s how long this album runs for.


None so vile --- Cryptopsy --- 1996 (Wrong Again)

The second album from the band and the last to feature lead vocalist Lord Worm (yes I’m getting this from Wiki: where do you think I get 90% of my information on bands I don’t know?) for a few years, the few reviews I’ve glanced through for “None so vile” leave me in no doubt that not only am I going to hate this album --- and by extension, the band --- but I probably won’t even be able to understand it.

Look, let’s just get this over with and then I can move on to the next album, ok? We've agreed on four albums total, but I’m looking forward to this about as much as getting a double root canal while Boyzone plays in the background, but I guess I'm in no position to argue. Or do anything really, other than struggle --- uselessly, of course --- against my bonds as this terrible --- well, what shall we call it? Music? Sound? Noise? Noise seems generous, but let's go with that --- pours into my poor, undeserving ears.

Scary noises and whispers presage the opening track, “Crown of horns”. Now when yer man Worm comes in with the vocal (and I’m being very generous in describing it as such) I thought for a moment it was a dog barking, then maybe an ape, but no, it’s a man. The drumming is blitzkrieg and the guitars race along faster than a lot --- but not everything --- I’ve heard to date. These vocals are ridiculous though: how can anyone make out even a word this guy is growling? Somebody in another review --- a glowing one --- mentioned that these songs are all memorable. Well, I certainly won’t remember this, unless it comes back to haunt me in my nightmares!

Nah, still jsut sounds like a dog barking at intruders. So that's track one, and I can feel my teeth beginning to shake and fall out of my mouth (not so pretty now, huh?) and blood run down out of my nose, pooling on the massive heaving mounds of my .... focus, Troll! Focus! Did I hear an echo of that incantation in the distance? A quick glance at the Healthometer to see how I'm doing:

CURRENT HEALTH: 90%

Now we’re into the second track, not much different really to my ears, though the guitar is a little more to the fore in the charmingly titled “Slit your guts.” Sigh. This stuff makes Slayer sound like Journey! I can’t comment on anything because it’s all just one big wall of noise and speed. Let me see if I can cut through it to say something positive. Guitarist Jon Levasseur is certainly a master of his craft, but I haven’t yet heard any solos which I think would help me perhaps appreciate this more. If at all.

At this point I’m going to refrain from making any more comments about Lord Worm’s (ahem) vocals, because there’s nothing complimentary I can say about them. Instead, I’m going to ignore them and see if I can concentrate on the music. One thing you can say about it is that it’s fast, blindingly so, and hammer heavy, but at least it does appear to be in tune. It’s hard to distinguish one track from another. But we're through with track two and how's my health?

CURRENT HEALTH: 84%

“Graves of the fathers” could be “Slit your guts”, or any other song on this album I would think. Drummer Flo Mounier winds up into some sort of solo, which is mildly interesting, and the guitar hammers on as we’re into “Dead and dripping”.

CURRENT HEALTH: 80%

Not sure if I'm getting used to this, or my nervous system is just shutting down, but my health still appears to be holding up. I can feel a warm trickle running down my legs which I can only hope is blood, and my skull feels like someone has it in a vise: oh wait, someone does. Yeah but it's pounding like fuck. Beginning to wonder how much more of this I can take!

But on we go, and there’s little I can say except that suddenly there’s a slowdown in “Dead and dripping” as the band go into almost Doom Metal mode, but it doesn’t last and we’re back hurtling along with “Benedictine convulsions”.

CURRENT HEALTH: 71%.

That was a big drop. I think my bowels are beginning to --- yeah, they're emptying. Oh great. Yeah. This all sounds the same to me. Did someone just ring a bell? Weird. Now it’s slowed very slightly, but picking up speed again. No surprise there then. Well, only three tracks to go. It’s gonna seem like a long twelve minutes! Twelve minutes of intense agony. What’s next? What suitably horrible title have they got for the next slab of --- oh right: “Phobophile”. I guess that means someone who can’t stand the light. WHAT THE FUCK!!! A piano passage? A fucking gentle piano passage? Have I crossed into another album by mistake? Soft acoustic guitar? Oh right: there’s the wormish one and the guitars juut kicked seven bells out of me again. I see what they did, very clever. Make me lower my defences then move in for the kill. Not cool, guys! Bet Batty had a good laugh envisaging that happening!

Honestly, I’ve heard more melody listening to belching, or a pack of wild dogs, or a car crash. This is terrible. Although there’s a solo now near the end of “Phobophile”, but it doesn’t last long,

CURRENT HEALTH: 89%

Hah! Although meant to trick me, that gentle piano bit gave me back a lot of my health, and I can feel my buttocks unclenching and my skin beginning to heal slightly as my strength returns. Woo-hoo! I am Woman, hear me --- (Not a girl. Trollheart. Not a girl. Trollheart)

And we’re back to the general noise. Two more to get through and the penultimate track is “Lichmistress”, not that it matters: everything sounds the same to me. I can imagine when these guys were practicing in their parents’ garage as youngsters and the father or mother yelled “What is that? It’s just noise!” Should have listened to them. Well that’s my opinion anyway.

CURRENT HEALTH: 82%

Delighted to see the closer is nearly five minutes long, but at this point it’s all just passing by in a blur of sound and fury, so who really cares? Even the title, “Orgiasatic disembowlement”, sounds preferable than listening to this. It has a slightly more marching rhythm for a short time, then descends into the same sort of thing I’ve been enduring for the last half hour. Lord preserve us. I can say no more. I think my water just broke. Oh no wait, I'm not pregnant. Nor a girl. But then what ---? Oh. Right. Part of my intestine just fell out. Nice.

CURRENT HEALTH: 60%

TRACKLISTING

1. Crown of horns
2. SLit your guts
3. Graves of the fathers
4. Dead and dripping
5. Benedectine convulsions
6. Phobophile
7. Lichmistress
8. Orgiastic disembowelment

Well, despite my misivings and fears I'm still alive, mostly, to The Batlord's eternal annoyance no doubt, though I will need some surgery. And a lot of cleaning up. I'm certainly tired: standing on high heels with your arms stretched high above your head certainly exhausts a girl (Not a girl. Trollheart) and my mouth is dry after I spit out the blood that has accumulated there. My vision is blurry but at least I still have my eyes. Looking down, I'm surprised to find that far from being damaged, my boobs have grown even larger. Batlord and his fascination for porno!

So I've surprised myself --- and my torturer perhaps --- by making it through this – ahem – album with all or most of my body intact. And what a body! (Not a girl. Trollheart. Not a girl. Trollheart) Mind you, I then remember that at the end of the album there’s a sample from “Army of darkness” which sneers “Go ahead and run! Run home and cry to momma!” Hey! My mam’s dead, you insensitive jerks! I can't help it. Right now I'm a girl, and that just makes the tears roll down. In the darkness I hear an evil chuckle: Batty has managed at least to make me cry, and so must surely chalk that up as a small victory. Prick.

“SO” his voice floats out of the cold darkness of the cell, “YOU SURVIVED CRYPTOPSY. WELL DONE. BUT THAT WAS A MERE HORS DOO – WHORES DU --- HURS DOOV --- STARTER, MY PRETTY. (GAHH! NOT A GIRL! TROLLHEART! GET IT TOGETHER, BATTY!) AHEM. THE NEXT ONE WILL TEST YOUR RESOLVE TO ITS LIMITS. TO MAKE SURE YOU GET THE FULL EFFECT --- HOTTUS REANIMATORUS METTALUM! --- I'VE REPAIRED YOUR BODY --- AND WHAT A BODY --- STOP IT, BATTY! NOT A GIRL. TROLLHEART! ---- SO THAT YOU'LL BE IN TIT --- SORRY, TIP TOP CONDITION TO FACE YOUR NEXT ORDEAL. I'M OFF TO THE LIBRARY TO DOWNLOAD IT. BACK SOON, WITH A REAL NIGHTMARE FOR YOU!”

I hear his footsteps fade away, and up. Up. I must be in a dungeon. Yeah. Great bit of deduction there, girl! A torture chamber in a dungeon. Who would have imagined it? He'll be gone for a few hours; he says he's downloading an album but we all know he's gone to watch internet porn, so I have some time. If I can just manage to work this strap loose ... what the hell's that?

GAS!

Oh crap. Should have known he would have a plan to keep me from ... feeling drowsy .... keep me from ... yawn ... from trying to ... can't keep eyes .... open ....

__________________
Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

The Batlord

After having read all of that, I feel that it is in fact I who has been violated.

__________________

Trollheart

So we've gone through in some detail what Viking Metal is, now it's time to check out some of the major --- and minor --- players in this field. There are some who stand head and shoulders above the rest, glaring down with battle-maddened eyes filled with bloodlust as they swing their heavy, two-handed broadswords in one hand with the practiced ease of a warrior born, laughing darkly as they stand there, spattered from head to toe in blood. Some of it may be theirs, most is probably that of their enemies: it matters not. These men live for the fight, the hunt, the chase and most of all, the gory, bloodsoaked and glorious victory. They are the spearhead of Viking Metal, the shock troops, the berserkers. These men are always first into any fray, and never leave until all their enemies are dead at their feet, or they have given their own lives --- while making their foes pay dearly for their prize --- and assured themselves of a place of honour in Valhalla.

So where else would we start but with one of these, perhaps the greatest of them all, and acknowledged as a driving, even creating force, in the world of Viking Metal? They could quite literally be called the fathers of the subgenre, and they are generally credited with releasing the first ever Viking Metal album.

Starting off as a Black Metal band, Bathory's Quorthon became interested in the tales of the Scandinavian gods and the mythical battles of both the Aesir and the more earthly Vikings, and after four albums he turned his creative focus towards fashioning a style of metal that would encompass, glorify and remember those ancient warriors and their gods. In total, Bathory released six albums that could be said to be Viking Metal; though “Blood fire death” does have elements of the subgenre, it's mostly seen as a Black Metal album. Quorthon was preparing a four-volume epic when he passed away in 2004, so sadly only two albums were finished.

The first one I want to look at is the album that showed the transition from Black to Viking Metal. It's that one I mentioned above, “Blood fire death”, and it's our first guest review, courtesy of Briks.


Artist: Bathory
Album: Blood Fire Death
Year: 1988
Genre: 1st wave black metal
Chronological position: Fourth album

I have written about Bathory twice before, including a review of this album. I gave it a 4/5 rating (which really was too high, as it didn't really grab me at the time) and moved on. It was the third black metal album I heard, so I was not yet used to the extreme subgenre. I liked the long, epic tracks: “A Fine Day to Die” and “Blood Fire Death”, but I dismissed the rest as uninteresting, generic black metal stuff (even though I didn't know crap about black metal).

Recently, I've started to appreciate black metal. So I revisited the album, and thought “wow, this is actually pretty cool”. Then I listened to it again. And again. Then I yanked the 4/5 rating right up to the deserved 5/5.

Blood Fire Death is credited with being the first viking metal release ever, but that's not really accurate, as there are only two viking metal tracks on it. After a three-minute long intro, “Odens Ride Over Nordland”, we are introduced to the first one, “A Fine Day to Die”. It starts out with some mellow singing over acoustic guitar and then turns into a fist-raising war anthem that makes me want to go out and buy a sword, hang it up on my bedroom wall right beside my grim Brvce Springsteen poster, and maybe take it down once in a while for cutting carrots in the name of Odin. Then we enter the middle area of the album, AKA the one I didn't learn to appreciate before just recently. Tracks three through seven are all brutal thrash songs that make Reign in Blood sound like a Beatles album. “For All Those Who Died” might be my favourite of the lot: that steady-pounding drum beat and repetitive buzzsaw riff makes me want to bang my head till my neck snaps. The closing track (if you exclude the outro), “Blood Fire Death”, is my definite favourite song on the album. It's the second viking metal epic, and it makes me want to take my carrot sword out in the woods and start furiously striking a tree while I'm dressed in a nerdy, black cape. It's that great.


TRACKLISTING

1. Oden's ride over Nordland
2. A fine day to die
3. The golden walls of Heaven
4. Pace 'til death
5. Holocaust
6. For all those who died
7. Dies irae
8. Blood fire death
9. Outro

Trollheart says:
Thanks Briks for that. Appreciate it. I said I wouldn't alter your text and I didn't, apart from spellchecking (which was again unnecessary), though I did add in a tracklisting as I prefer there always to be one. Great job!

After this Bathory went in a completely Viking Metal direction which would only be broken by a two year spell when they would release two albums that fell outside the Viking Metal remit, 1994's “Requiem” and the following year's “Octagon”, after which Quorthon would return to the themes of Viking Metal.


Hammerheart --- Bathory --- 1990 (Noise)

As in most of his albums, Quorthon is the man here: he writes and composes all the music, plays everything except bass and drums, and even produces the album. I'm not quite sure what the opening sound effect is meant to convey --- a sword being cooled in water at a smithy? --- but “Shores in flames” starts off with acoustic guitar and a very clean vocal, something which later bands would ditch in favour of more shouted, grunted, snarly vocals. A heavy electric guitar then comes in with attendant percussion as the song ramps up, and it's one of two which are the longest tracks, almost eleven minutes apiece. Well, this one is the longest, at a few seconds over that. Mind you, of the eight tracks that make up this album, few dip below the seven minute mark, leaving aside the closing instrumental. There's power and grandeur in the song now as it sweeps along, a darker but still intelligible vocal relating the tale of the Norsemen as they make ready to set out on another raid: ”It says: Set your sails/ And let me take your ship to foreign shores/ Take farewell of those near you/ And your land of the North!” Backing vocals swell in a kind of tribal chant, perhaps the sort of thing the Vikings would sing as they rowed towards their next conquest.

This song is so good and entrancing that it's already approaching the eleven-minute mark before I realise it, and it's succeeded by one almost as long, as the men of the North give praise to their gods in “Valhalla”. I'm sure you all know, but just in case you don't, Valhalla was the place where every Viking hoped to go when he died; the hall of the brave, where men could sit side-by-side with warriors of legend, heroes and perhaps even the gods of Asgard themselves. But only the brave and the valorous got to reach that place, taken there by the Valkyries (remember Battleroar?) who would ift them from the battlefield and carry them to their honoured place. It's a heavy, powerful opening, very dramatic and portentous, till it begins rocking along on guitar riffs and mid-paced drums, though as yet no vocal as we head into the third minute.

”God of Thunder! cries Quorthon when the vocal does begin, ”Who crack the sky/ Swing your Hammer /Way up high!” Not the most original of lyrics I'll grant you, but they capture the worship of Thor, Norse god of thunder and of battle, whom all the Vikings revered as one of the most powerful and strongest of the gods, and upon whom they would call to bless their attacks. The chant accompanies the singing and really gives the impression of an army heading into battle, singing gloriously, unafraid of death and with only bloodlust and the desire for plunder on their minds. As befits any prayer evoking the thunder god, loud booming peals roll across the sky as Thor gives his answer, and the Vikings plunge on. And again, a ten-minute track is over before I even realise it.

Pounding drumming is joined by chugging guitar as “Baptised in fire and ice” takes it to another level, and although it's a heavy, almost angry song, it's important because it shows us the other side of the Vikings, the side in tune with nature and explains their respect for their land: ”I grew and learned respectfully/ The Earth, Wind, Water and the sky/ The powers that decided the weather/ And rules both the dark and light/ I heard the voices of the spirits/ Of the forest call my name/ I saw the Hammer way up high/ Cause lightning in the rain.” We hear of the youth of a young Viking and how he is brought up, not only to be brave and fearless, but to respect the traditions of his people. There's also a seriously killer guitar riff throughout the song. “Father to son” opens like a movie, with the sounds of a village, a baby crying, steps walking, a dog barking before machinegun guitar punches through as the blacksmith looks at his newborn son, determined to ensure he grows into a fine young warrior. The beat slows a little, though not much, making this more a cruncher and less a heads-down fretfest, though there's plenty of guitar in it.

The shortest track then, bar the instrumental at the end, “Song to hall up high” is a hymn to Odin (or Oden if you prefer) as a warrior gives praise and hopes to die gloriously and earn his seat in Valhalla. It's almost acoustic, with choral vocals backing the guitar in a chant that echoes the warrior's prayer. A full Viking chorus then accompanies Quorthon (though in reality they're probably all his own voice) before we slam into “Home of once brave”, which swaggers, marches and strides along with the arrogance of warriors born claiming their birthright. Vvornth really does well here on the drumkit, creating the atmosphere against which Quorthon's guitar growls and snarls its way. A great sense of pride and power in this song, and the melody is really catchy. There is a lot of perhaps unnecessary roaring at the end though. Finally we come to “One road to Asa Bay”, the other track that vies with the opener for the title of longest, just missing out on the eleven-minute mark. With a jew's harp and the sounds of birdsong and then galloping hooves, it's obviously another epic, which should serve to --- almost --- close the album well.

After about a moment soft guitar comes in with what I guess I should be referring to now as “The Viking Chorus”, then harder guitar pushes it aside and keyboards add to the melody, like a battlesong to accompany warriors as they ride. It's a slow, crunching, marching song, but in a departure from the lyrical themes of the rest of the album, which speak of and glorify the raids and the life of the Norsemen, this song tells of Christian priests and missionaries who came to Scandinavia to enforce their religion upon the Vikings. ”And the bold man carrying cross /Had told all one of Asa bay/ The God of all man woman child had come/ To them all save/ And to thank Lord of Heaven/ One should build to God a house/ And to save one's soul from Hell..”

But even though, after resisting the new religion, the Vikings capitulated and hoped the Christians would go away and leave them in peace, it was obviously never going to be that easy. ”Now this house of a foreign God does stand/ Now must they leave us alone/ Still he heard from somewhere in the woods/ Old crow of wisdom say /...people of Asa land, it's only just begun...”

Indeed.

A tiny, twenty-second instrumental ends the album, but it's so almost inconsequential --- barely a few notes --- that it's hardly even worth mentioning.

TRACKLISTING

1. Shores in flames
2. Valhalla
3. Baptised in fire and ice
4. Father to son
5. Song of hall up high
6. Home of once brave
7. One road to Asa Bay
8. Outro

Is the case for Bathory being the progenitor of Viking Metal strong then? I'd say it's debatable. Although hardly what you would quite term Viking Metal, Manowar were including lyrics about Odin and Asgard as early as 1982, a full eight years before this album saw the light of day, and other bands, notably based in the power or progressive realm, have also dallied with deities in their lyrics. Even Blind Guardian --- whom nobody would call a Viking Metal band --- had songs about the Norse legends before Quorthon got deeply into it.

But what can't be argued is that, as a bona fide subgenre of metal, Bathory certainly did more than most to bring this collection of stories, legends and musical ideas together into one cohesive whole, and it was this blueprint that the bands who followed would look to for their inspiration. Quorthon pulled all the threads together and wove a pretty impressive tapestry that has lasted long past the death of the man himself. And for that alone, as a legacy of the man known as Quorthon, it's probably fair to place the crown of Viking Metal upon his head. No doubt he now sits in the halls of Valhalla, discussing musical theory with Odin and Thor. He's certainly earned his place.

The album to follow “Hammerheart”, and to expand upon Quorthon's Viking Metal ideas, was “Twilight of the gods”, but I already reviewed that in the first Metal Month, which was actually where I first heard Bathory and was pleasantly surprised. If you want to read it, it's here

http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ml#post1374102.

A two-year gap would ensue, wherein Bathory returned more towards their original black metal roots, with a flavour of thrash, before returning with another Viking-themed album in 1996.

__________________
Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

Trollheart

In something of a change for Slayer, the next album would not come out for four years. Given that they were perhaps trying to win hardcore fans back this seems a little odd, but then when you listen to the album and hear how lovingly crafted it is, what a masterpiece of sound engineering and songwriting it is, and how Slayer began to really tackle proper world issues, maybe four years was not too long to have to wait.


Divine intervention --- Slayer --- 1994 (American)

If ever the sticker “Parental Advisory” was created for one band, you would have to believe it was for Slayer, and with this sixth album featuring songs about everything from the SS to Jeffrey Dahmer, you can see why some parents --- most parents --- would not want their little precious buying and listening to it. And why all the little preciouses would be eager to do just that. With another powerful guitar intro, “Killing fields” explores the psyche of a serial killer, Araya hoarsely shouting the lyric with all the lack of control of a madman on the hunt for his next kill. New drummer Paul Bostaph adds a sense of fire and anger to proceedings, and King as ever is a master of the frets, his guitar screaming in pain as he racks out the solos. Coming it at a mere one minute fifty seconds, “Sex, murder, art” nevertheless squeezes a lot into its extremely short runtime, managing to reference BDSM --- ”Shackled, my princess/Dangling in distress/Here to discipline” --- fisting --- ”The urge to take my fist/ And violate every orifice” ---imprisonment and enslavement --- ”Caught, now you're mine/ The master of your whipping time!” and their usual healthy disregard/contempt for religion --- ”God is dead/ I'm alive!” Those PA stickers are seeming justified already! The music suits the raw, angry lyrics, pounding, screaming, violating. Heavy stuff.

No real letup then for “Fictional reality”, with a chugalong beat where the guys once again turn their hand to political lyrics, sneering at the notion of government --- ”Consumed democracy returns/ A socialist regime” --- with big, Iommi-style guitar riffs and a growling vocal, and the anger against society hits into overdrive as they pile into “Dittohead”, with one of the fastest vocals I have ever heard! How does he sing that fast? The music matches him as it hurtles along, but of course they can't keep this up forever and in a short time the beat has softened somewhat, settled down into a proper groove as Slayer rail against the leniency of prison sentences --- ”Slap your hand and you'll do no time” --- with the tempo increasing madly again and then spilling over into the title track, which seems to slow things down a touch.

Another long guitar intro and then Tom screams the vocal like a man in pain, which is appropriate as the lyric seems to hark back to “Angel of Death” on the third album, though here it would appear that God Himself is the torturer. Araya screams ”Violated, naked before you I stand/ Shattered shrine of flesh and bone/ God is piercing through my soul!” A machine-gun guitar assault accompanies him, but if pain characterises that song, anger sears through “Circle of beliefs” like a cleansing fire as Slayer return to beat on their old whipping-boy, Jesus and God, decrying the stupidity of those who follow the Christian religion. The tempo is breakneck --- though nothing comes close to at least the first minute or so of “Dittohead”! --- and again, for a song that runs for four and a half minutes it's over pretty quickly as we plunge into the infamous “SS-3”. Another song that would do nothing to dispel the accusations of Nazism, this chronicles the exploits of the SS and Gestapo during Hitler's reign.

Bringing the tempo down somewhat this track blasts along with fire and anger, and of course is open to misinterpretation, but for my money, unless they're singing “Heil Hitler!” (and not ironically) you can't really say someone is a Nazi sympathiser for writing a song about the SS any more than you can accuse the filmakers who wrote screenplays for World War II movies of the same. It's horrible, it's evil, but in the end it's just a lyrical theme for a song. It's not as if Slayer go on stage in Nazi uniforms giving the Hitler salute now is it? The song picks up speed about halfway through, and oddly King's solo seems a little distant --- bad production? --- but the second solo is crisp and pristine. Staying with controversial themes and a real two-fingers to the world of radio airplay, “Serenity in murder”, while probably the slowest song on the album and with a sort of odd droning vocal returns to the subject that opened the album, that of serial killers, while “213” shoots for the moon --- or the gutter, depending on your viewpoint and your intention --- crawling inside the polluted and dark mind of serial killer and cannibal Jeffrey Dahmer.

With a deceptively laidback guitar and a slow rhythm, it's not really that hard to see how Tom Araya sees this as a love song, because in a very twisted, special way it is. But not a love song you'd want anyone singing to you! It gets going with a sort of boogie beat and hard, biting guitars, a yelled vocal recalling the pained one Araya used in the title track, getting more and more manic as the song progresses. It's one of the few Slayer songs I've heard, at least so far, without a solo from Kerry or Jeff. “Mind control” then kicks over the tables, sets fire to them and legs it out the door as the place burns down to the ground and Slayer paint the last daubs of freshly-harvested blood over the ending of the album, proving the only pussies they tolerate reside either side of a woman's legs.

TRACKLISTING

1. Killing fields
2. Sex, murder, art
3. Fictional reality
4. Dittohead
5. Divine intervention
6. Circle of beliefs
7. SS-3
8. Serenity in murder
9. 213
10. Mind control

The speed, power and raw aggression on this album is frightening to behold. Gone are the complicated progressive song structures of the last album, gone too the references to Satan worship and any other fantasy elements. Having spent “Seasons in the abyss” Slayer have looked deep into it, it's looked deep into them, and neither has liked what they see. But a very real and disturbing truth has become apparent, and that is that whatever awaits us beyond the veil, what we suffer here --- and the suffering we cause here --- on Earth makes that pale by comparison. The realities of life, the prejudices, the hatred, the wrongs and the evils, all combine to make us think there can't be anything worse waiting for us than what we've created here ourselves.

All very deep and existential, I hear you say, but Slayer surely don't give a fuck And you're most likely right. They don't. What they will have given a fuck about though is that with “Divine intervention” they came right back on track; the fans flocked back in their droves, even more young men were encouraged to start their own bands, and even more parents hid their faces in their hands in despair at this trash their kids were listening to.

And for them, worse was to come.

__________________
Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018